Lifestyle Tradie Magazine #62 July - December

ISSUE #62 – JULY – DECEMBER 2021 EDITION

I QUIT! IF YOU DON’T LIKE MY BUSINESS, THERE’S THE DOOR

Getting Your Kit Off 2 IN 3 AUSSIES HAVE SKIN CANCER, LETS CHANGE THAT!

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Fergus tells all ANDY AND DAN CHAT ALL THINGS TRADE BUSINESS!

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JACK AND STACEY YEADON JDY ELECTRICAL — VIP DIAMOND MEMBERS FROM THE DESK OF

ANDY SMITH

THREE THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW, IF YOU’RE GUILTY OF THE BLAME GAME.

JULY – DECEMBER 2021 EDITION – ISSUE #62

CONTENTS 04

Quote Like A Pro

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Partner Spotlight: Fergus — Counting on Success 07 — How To Politely Tell A Client “No” 12 — How To Keep Your Staff Motivated And Hungry

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Lifestyle Tradie Member Profile

20 — Hendo’s Soap Box — Top 3 Ways To Hold Yourself Accountable And Get Yourself Back On Track.

JDY Electrical

21 — Mid-Year Drag

Jack and Stacey Yeadon

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Tradie Bingo!

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Life-saving Tradies 2

14 — Getting Your Kit Off

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If You Don’t Like My Business, There’s The Door

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The Tradie Show — Together In Trade Business L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

FROM THE DESK OF

Hey Tradies!

Jeez, we’re almost at the end of 2021, can you believe it?

So many of us started this year, thinking everything would be back to the way it was and we could all get on with our lives. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case, however, that doesn’t mean we can continue to blame our financial inequities on the pandemic.

I’ve recently chatted with many trade business owners, who are still blaming not knowing their numbers, poor staff retention, and dismal turnover on the pandemic. And I say to them, “mate, your competitors are out there, facing the same issues as you, and they’re bl**dy killing it!”

So what’s the REAL reason you’re not hitting your goals and reaping the rewards of running your own business?

It’s been too easy for us to sit back and say, “it’s all too hard” and point the finger of blame at the “state of the world right now.” But what we live in now, is the new NORMAL,

and the sooner we accept that and reformat our business to perform within this altered space, the better!

Three things to do RIGHT NOW if you’ve been guilty of the blame game.

1. Reset your goals for the latter half of this year.

This means considering where your business is right now and where you want it to be by 2022. Set tangible goals like increasing your turnover by X%, hiring a new tradesperson, implementing systems into your business or even something as simple as maintaining your current client base and getting your repeat business back up!

• Your P&L [Profit and Loss

statement] is updated (and you’re checking it regularly)

• Ensuring you have enough cash flow.

• And most importantly, that you’re making money on every job!

If you don’t know your numbers, you don’t know your business.

3. Ask for help.

If you feel like you’re drowning, and the stress and pressure of running your own business is impacting your life, get help! Reach out to me, Andy, and we can chat one-on-one about your unique business situation. Use me as a sounding board for your business pain points, and together we can find solutions that will work for you!

2. TRACK. YOUR. MONEY Let’s say that again… track your money! This is everything from;

Rant over! Here’s to a great second half of the year and to a brighter 2022.

• Making sure invoicing gets

Andy Smith

done on time

Cheers,

QUOTE LIKE A PRO

QUOTE LIKE A PRO Tradies hate quoting.

Not only is it time-consuming, but it’s expensive too! Most customers these days expect the call out fee to be waived, so you’re not being paid for your time unless you land the quote.

How many quotes do you think you’ve given that you never heard back from... probably a lot, right?

You spend big on marketing to land the opportunity to quote on the job, but then after you’ve sent the potential customer the quote, how often do you follow up with them? Once? Twice? And then what, nothing?

The truth is, most quotes get approved on the EIGHT OR NINTH contact.

At the end of the day, quoting is a major part of winning work (or losing it) you need to ensure your quoting systems are in place, and in tip-top shape.

Fast track your freedom with our quote flow cheat sheets, and start increasing your chances of winning every quote, every time.

Scan the QR code below to download our Quote Flow Cheat Sheets!

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L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

LIFEST YLE TRADIE MEMBER PROFILE – JDY ELECTRICAL

LIFESTYLE TRADIE

MEMBER PROFILE JACK & STACEY

JDY ELECTRICAL

VIP DIAMOND MEMBERS 1. Tell us a about your business, life and family.

In 2018, Jack became so stressed I thought he was going to have a heart attack! I [Stacey], left my teaching job of 12 years to help.

Jack started his career as an electrician working for a solar company on the Central Coast.

After some time, Jack returned to his hometown Goulburn and was offered an apprenticeship with a local electrical company.

Now just a few years later in 2021, JDY Electrical is an award-winning business run by Jack and myself. What a change!

In both roles, he was working long hours and often weekends, which took its toll. So, after 13 years, he had enough and decided to go out on his own. As a result, JDY Electrical was born!

Jack was a one-man gig working from our garage and home office. Sadly, owning his own business didn’t solve the issues he faced in the previous roles of long hours and constant weekend work. It was not the result we had hoped for.

As the business grew, we hired an apprentice in 2016 and sought the help of a business education.

Jack and I went to a Lifestyle Tradie live event. We loved Andy & Angela’s story and what Lifestyle Tradie offered and joined on the spot!

Our first BIG decision after joining was moving the office from our home to a warehouse.

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We have three employees, a thriving business and a shop front — A big change from our humble garage beginnings!

At JDY Electrical, we pride ourselves on being well known for our excellent customer service and our willingness to help the elderly and the outlying rural communities.

We are also very heavily involved in the local soccer association, which showcases our strong community involvement, and the values of our business.

We are one of very few in the area who specialise in industrial instrumentation and have an awesome customer base in this field. Having a niece in the market has given us a great competitive edge, and allowed us to grow as a business.

Jack and I have been together since we were very young and married for 16 years! We have always shared very similar life goals and interests. We have two beautiful kiddos Evelyn, 14 and Bradley, 9.

Our kids are our world and they keep us busy with soccer and mountain biking!

We love to explore the snowy mountain region and new places during the holidays and love the outdoors in the warmer months. Goulburn is not known for its outdoorsy weather in winter, so it’s snuggles, movies and books after soccer through winter.

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LIFEST YLE TRADIE MEMBER PROFILE – JDY ELECTRICAL

Jack and I both attend the gym three days a week with a PT to keep our body’s and our mind fit. Jack loves mountain biking and I have recently taken up pole dancing.

It’s great to try new hobbies to keep life interesting, so you’re not all work and no play!

4. What specific results have you achieved since joining Lifestyle Tradie?

2. What do you love most about what you do?

One of our biggest achievements was we moved out of home to a warehouse/office complex. Plus, we tripled our turnover within the first 2 years, this was a massive WIN for us and our family.

The freedom to be able to be present in our kids’ lives!

And we know our numbers!

Previously, when we were both ‘working for the man’ we would miss important events like the athletics carnivals or school assemblies. It was heartbreaking to hear from the kids that they had won a race or got an award and we missed it.

5. Where do you see your business in five years?

Both kids were brought up by a nanny or their grandparents and we missed a lot of the younger years. Now we have the freedom to do the things we could not before running our own business and the change in our lives is priceless.

3. Tell us a little about your life before joining Lifestyle Tradie? (What wasn’t working, what was holding you back or was in your way?)

Before joining Lifestyle Tradie, Jack was a one-man show, he was working till 6pm then coming home and working till midnight in our home office. He was stressed and cranky.

Jack was working from home, so we had tools and equipment everywhere which made me cranky because our youngest was only three and loved daddy’s tools. We would end up with rolls of cable, screws and bits and pieces spread from one end of the house to the other.

It was a nightmare!

We would like to have a team of six with Jack only working part-time.

• Two tradies • Two apprentices • Two office staff • Three vehicles • and turning over $3 Million (bit ambitious

I know, but everyone needs Goals to strive towards!)

6. What are the top three things you have learnt about business that you would recommend to other tradies and why?

Tip 1. Know your numbers!!!!

Tip 2. Make time for yourself, if you are not working properly nothing will work properly.

Tip 3. Do not waste time dwelling on mistakes, learn from them and move on.

7. Tell us something quirky about yourself that your buddies don’t know?

I own race horses, and Jack is a sponsored mountain bike rider.

8. If we were sitting here one year from now celebrating what a great year it’s been, what have you achieved (together)? (business/life).

We have seriously been looking at our investments. So far, we have bought a new truck and are in the process of buying a new house. We are also looking into taking the business in a new direction, focusing on mainly industrial works and looking at hiring a new licensed tradie.

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L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

HOW TO POLITELY TELL A CLIENT “NO”

HOW TO POLITELY TELL A CLIENT “NO”

Having a great relationship with your clients is always what we strive for. As trade business owners, we find ourselves bending over backwards to make the client happy. From reducing our cost to tightening our deadlines, we’re always doing whatever we can to make them happy and turn them into repeat customers.

But, when a client who we’ve already bent so far for, tries to push the envelope just that little bit too far, here are some polite ways of managing the situation.

STEP 1. Calmly lay out the situation, like a timeline.

Explain back to them the process you would usually follow, and educate them on how you’ve made exceptions for them in order to suit their deadline and budgets. Show them that you are on their side, and trying hard to fit their expectations.

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STEP 2. Provide a solution that is within reason. If they’re saying they need it done in half the time it usually takes, can they afford for you to add a subbie or additional tradie to the job? Whilst the cost would go up, their deadline can be met.

STEP 3. Hold your ground! If you’ve explained to them why it’s not possible and shared alternative practical solutions you need to stand strong in your positioning. Stay calm and collected, don’t blow your lid. It can be difficult but it’s crucial you maintain your cool.

Some clients will try to push to see how far they can get you to budge. Clients do it all the time because they want the best deal they can get, and don’t care about the impacts it has on your business.

Whilst these aren’t your ideal customers in the –rst place, sometimes you just get a bad apple and need to ensure you know how to deal with them!

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TRADIE BINGO!

Let’s take a break from the stress of running a business, and play tradie BINGO! For every one of the phrases, YOU’VE said at one point or another, cross it off...

TRADIE BINGO

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“It’s quicker if I do it myself”

“I don’t need systems, I’ve got MY own system”

“I’ll come to bed after I finish this invoice”

“I am SO busy”

“The process is in my head, I’ve never written it down”

“I just can’t be bothered, i’m so tired”

“I’ve got so many things to do I don’t even know WHERE to start”

“I’m chasing my tail today, it’s been HECTIC”

“I can’t come sorry I’ve gotta work”

L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

TRADIE BINGO!

Tradies are so time poor it’s just not funny, at one point I guarantee all of us have said at least THREE of these sentences. The good news is that it’s not your fault, life is busy enough already and when you add running your own business to the mix, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and unmotivated.

The second bit of good news is that with our guide, The Time Maximiser, with a few simple steps and some delegation, we can get you a MINIMUM of 4 - 6 hours back into your week.

How? Scan the QR code and GET YOUR TIME BACK!

NOT A READER? PREFER PODCASTS? Check out The Tradie Show, Season TWO Episode TWO where Andy and Angela chat about all the little changes YOU can make to get your time back and start living the lifestyle you deserve!

This guide and podcast episode will not only help you get your time back, but it will also help you:

• Avoid burnout • Spend more time with friends and family • ENJOY owning your trade business • Delegate tasks that AREN’T making you money

AND GET BACK TO DOING WHAT YOU DO BEST J U LY – D E C E M B E R 2021 E D I T I O N – I S S U E #62

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LIFE-SAVING TRADIES

LIFE-SAVING TRADIES

Tradies often find themselves in precarious situations.

From being several stories up on a scissor lift, balancing on ladders, to working with power tools — the risk of severe to fatal injury is ever-present.

As trade business owners, it’s our responsibility to ensure the safety of our crew through safe work practices. However, injuries are often accidents, or caused by equipment failure, and can’t always be avoided.

That’s why it’s critical to be trained in not just basic first aid, but life-saving techniques. Because at the end of the day, knowing how to assist somebody who’s been seriously injured can be the difference between life and death.

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L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

LIFE-SAVING TRADIES

Earlier this year, in Adelaide, a tradie suffered an almost fatal electric shock whilst working inside a roof. The 52-yearold man survived the incident, with paramedics accrediting his survival to “good first aid rendered to him by his work colleagues until paramedics arrived.”

Without his colleague receiving quality first aid training, it’s unlikely that the tradie would have survived the electrocution. If something unexpected like this happened on your worksite, are you confident that you, or your tradies, are equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to assist?

When was the last time you and your team received first aid training, reviewed safety practices or updated your first aid kits?

Taking these simple measures can make a life-altering difference in an emergency situation.

According to St John’s Ambulance:

“A whopping one-third of all Australia’s workforce are tradies. Sadly, they represent 58% of workplace injuries…

Trade occupations are also sadly overrepresented in the fatality statistics, with industries like construction, agriculture, manufacturing and mining losing 50 lives in 2017 alone. That figure represents a huge number of families and friends without their loved ones coming home at the end of the day, something most of us take for granted.”

Check your local area for first aid training services, and make this a priority for your trade business!

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HOW TO KEEP YOUR STAFF MOTIVATED AND HUNGRY

HOW TO KEEP YOUR STAFF MOTIVATED AND HUNGRY As business owners, we would like to believe that paying our employees a fair and decent salary in itself should be motivation enough for them to come to work each day and put in 200% The reality is, however, just earning a decent living isn’t enough anymore to keep your staff motivated and hungry. In 2021 you also need to have a strong incentives programme with clear goals for your team to hit to keep their motivation levels up.

According to Indeed.com, one of the leading job search platforms;

“The incentive theory of motivation is a behavioural theory that suggests people are motivated by a drive for incentives and reinforcement. The incentive theory also proposes that people behave in a way they believe will result in a reward.”

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If you currently don’t set ANY weekly goals for your team, or share incentives to do a great job, it’s likely that your staff are cruising along and aren’t generating big dollars for your business. So let’s fix that in three easy steps; STEP 1. Set clear goal The five most common elements to track weekly per tradie are: Total number of jobs actioned, total invoiced out, average dollar sale, upsells and call backs.

STEP 2. Set clear incentives for each One example is, for every upsell, the Tradie receives $10. Over a week, that could quickly rack up a $50 bonus or $100 fortnightly. This is minimal in terms of a business cost for the owner, as the upsell likely turned a much higher profit.

STEP 3. Rank your tradies Like a competition ranking, let your staff know who is consistently smashing their goals and who needs to push harder. Most tradies love a punt, and one-upping each other, so this is a great way to get your staff to motivate each other to be “the winner”.

L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

HOW TO KEEP YOUR STAFF MOTIVATED AND HUNGRY

With so many other trade businesses out there, saying the grass is greener on their side…. not only do you need to motivate your tradies but also ensure your retention and workplace happiness rates are sky-high.

Scan the QR code below and download our Staff Performance Dashboard; it’s got everything you need to start your incentives and goal-setting program!

The most effective way to do this is through recognition and training.

Take the tradie that’s constantly topping your staff leaderboard, and team him up with the tradie who is consistently underperforming. It might be the tradie coming last is greener and just needs to boost his confidence and have some additional one-on-one training sessions. Then, once they start to succeed, share the love and publicly recognise their hard work and congratulate them on their achievements.

THIS COSTS YOU NOTHING! Not all incentives have to be cash; some of the most rewarding motivational tools are free, like job security, title promotions, professional development, and increased responsibilities.

So, take these three steps and consider how much MORE your tradies could be earning for your business if they had a little fire under them and a push to succeed!

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GETTING YOUR KIT OFF

GETTING YOUR KIT OFF As Aussies, we love stripping down and soaking in the sunshine — it’s practically part of what makes us Australians!

You have a duty of care to your staff, as a trade business owner, to provide them with the equipment & education they need to keep themselves sun-safe.

Our professions often have us working outside for hours. We laugh about each other’s sock and classic t-shirt tan lines, but the reality is we are highly exposed to the elements, which can have long-lasting effects on our health.

Get checked by a healthcare professional and know your skin, as you are in control of your health. So take action!

The Skin Cancer Council revealed about two in three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70. As a result about 2,000 Aussie die from skin cancer each year accounting to SunSmart.

JUST BECAUSE IT’S NOT SUMMER, DOESN’T MEAN THE RISK OF OVEREXPOSURE TO UV RAYS IS LOWERED.

That means as a country, we have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

Get checked, don’t wait!

The best thing you can do for yourself, and your family, is to get regular checks with a healthcare professional.

Even though it’s winter now, doesn’t mean you’re safe!

In between check-ups use the ABCDE melanoma detection guide developed by The Cancer Council.

That way you know your skin so you’ll be able to detect straight away if something changes.

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L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT – FERGUS –COUNTING ON SUCCESS

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

COUNTING ON SUCCESS Every trade business owner is striving to be one thing: successful.

Andy:

You don’t start a business to fail; you start your business with dreams of making it big and providing your family with the freedom to choose their lifestyle.

Dan:

However, it’s the best business people, not the best tradies, that have successful trade businesses.

For the sole reason that tradies are set up to fail: they’re never taught how to successfully run a business, only how to be a gun on the tools.

Andy sat down with Dan, Founder of Fergus and friend of Lifestyle Tradie — for a Q&A about their shared experiences with the struggles of being tradies and running their own businesses.

For those who don’t know, what is Fergus?

What drove you to set up this platform?

Fergus is an end-to-end job management software built for tradies. Fergus helps you manage your jobs, take control of your finances and makes it easy to manage your staff.

I started Fergus alongside my third plumbing business. The first two businesses didn’t go well and I knew I had to find a different way of doing things. I had a choice to make and that was to either quit plumbing or commit 100% to doing whatever it took to make my next plumbing business work.

I knew what dragged my other two businesses under and when I went looking for the software to solve the problems I faced, it didn’t exist. In my naivety I thought how hard can it be, I know what I want. So I found some guys to build what I wanted and Fergus was born. Fergus changed my business life. It allowed my plumbing business to start growing and get cash flowing as invoicing was that much easier.

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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT – FERGUS –COUNTING ON SUCCESS

Andy: What could you say about the importance of ‘knowing your numbers’, based on your experience?

Dan:

I didn’t when it came to the first two businesses and as a result had to close them both.

The third plumbing business had 25 staff and now Fergus has 60 staff… the difference was having a system that showed me business critical numbers.

Systems give rise to numbers and numbers give you insight into what is actually happening and ideally in real-time. Now, I don’t know how anyone can run a business without knowing their key numbers.

Andy: How does Fergus help you with your numbers?

Dan:

There’s only a few key numbers, gross profit, days to get paid, hours charged, overheads, know those and you’re sorted. Fergus takes care of gross profit and hours.

Between Xero and Fergus we have all these key metrics in easy reports. If trades business owners take the time to look at them, it becomes apparent what they need to do to improve their business and their bottom line.

Andy: How important do you think systemisation is in a trade business?

Dan:

In essence, without systems and processes you don’t have a business, so the real question is how well do those systems and processes run?

A trades business is a bit like a factory; a job comes in one end and cash comes out the other. How much cash and whether someone will order again is down to the efficiency and effectiveness of the process which systems like Fergus can make all the difference.

It’s so possible and it’s so easy now. I had to build job management software as it didn’t exist, all you have to do is sign up. I just wish it was easier to convince business owners how easy it was to make your business work like a clock, tick tock...

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Andy: Have you ever struggled with delegating? How important do you think it is in any business?

Dan:

Nah, I’m the laziest person out there, I hate paperwork!

It’s been proven that you should only work on your strengths and don’t berate yourself for your weaknesses.

I wish more tradies would consider employing others to do their admin. This would mean they could spend their time adding value to the business by creating sales or partnership opportunities or working on the tools.

Andy: What was your experience with owning your own trade business?

Dan:

Honestly? It’s a tough gig! . But then I had to build the tools to make it work. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, running a trades business is relentless, there are a lot of moving pieces many of which you can’t control; weather, staff, customers, tools, budgets, mistakes, emotions. With the right people, systems and support in place, it is possible to make it all work and be not just bearable, but enjoyable.

Andy: How would you measure success within a business?

Dan:

For me, it’s all about the stress in my day, or rather how little stress there is. If the business is under control and I’m not spending my time stressed and I can pay my bills on time then that means the world to me. Having most nights off, rather than doing paperwork is what success looks like to me.

L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT – FERGUS –COUNTING ON SUCCESS

Andy:

Andy:

What do you wish you’d known before starting your own business?

What’s your number one tip for business owners who have been in business for a couple of years but are struggling to grow their business?

Dan:

Just how brutal it is dealing with compliance, customers, staff, government. If you want to make profit you have to comply and there is so much to comply with.

Andy: What are your thoughts on the current trades boom and therefore ‘Tradie Shortage’?

Dan:

If this is the case, it might be time to take an honest, good hard long look in the mirror. Ask yourself, am I my own handbrake? The issue isn’t access to knowledge, all the answers are on the internet, the answer is in the mirror. Business growth is often hamstrung by a reluctance to take risk or acknowledge that you need to learn more and dedicate time to learning more about what it takes to become a great business owner.

Dan:

The same thing has been going on since the pyramids were built. At the end of the day, what you can do is simply be a good boss; find people and treat them well.

The thought pattern I see most lacking in trade business owners is the fallacy of maximum profit. Instead, one should ask, will I get more time back and will it cost neutral at worst?

Apprentices, for example, can be cost neutral within two months and you’ll start making profit off them very quickly. You won’t get rich with apprentices, but they do lower the stress in a business by having labour, which in turn impacts team happiness, culture, staff retention...

Now if you employ enough apprentices you’ll find that a lot of them will do 3-4 years with you and you’ll have guaranteed labour. It’s a mindset thing, just think of yourself as a training organisation and give all sorts of people a go.

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In the end, everyone is counting on you to be successful. Your family, your sta– and your ego... That’s a lot of pressure for one person.

Dan and I both experienced that pressure and all the other bad stu– that goes along with it. That’s why we set up our businesses to genuinely help other trade business owners going through the same experiences.

Our hope is that by sharing our experiences with other trade business owners, we can bridge this learning gap and set others up for success.

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IF YOU DON’T LIKE MY BUSINESS, THERE’S THE DOOR

IF YOU DON’T LIKE MY BUSINESS, THERE’S THE DOOR Staff turnover is a constant business headache — people are chopping and changing jobs like never before! It’s time to take hold of the reins and improve your staff retention so that you can build a better trade business.

Staying in a job for 30 years and then retiring is dead. The reason your tradies keep quitting may surprise you because more often than not, it’s YOU not them.

What is an exiting interview?

Exiting interviews can be awkward, but they are necessary for you to build a better trade business.

They are an interview or a survey you provide to an employee when they decide to leave your company.

It should capture their reason for leaving, and give you a better understanding of their decision.

Questions to ask:

It’s essential to take those rosetinted glasses off and look at; • Your day-to-day operations.

• Your behaviour and attitude.

• How your salary packages stack up against competitors.

These things can be tough to self evaluate. The best thing you can implement is exiting interviews and quarterly team review surveys!

• Overall did you enjoy working for us?

• How effectively do you think your skills were utilised?

• How helpful was your position in

stimulating your professional growth?

• How well were you paid for the work you did here?

• How would you rate the relationship you had with your supervisor?

• How would you rate your relationship with co-workers?

• What was your main reason for leaving?

• Was there something you felt we could have done better?

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L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

IF YOU DON’T LIKE MY BUSINESS, THERE’S THE DOOR

THE ONLY WAY TO MINIMISE STAFF TURNOVER IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS CAUSING IT.

Prevention is the best medicine You don’t have to wait until somebody quits! Share an anonymous survey with your team quarterly to track their overall happiness at work.

Questions to ask:

• How would you rate us compared to other companies?

• What would you do to improve the company?

• Do you enjoy working for us?

• How well do you rate your professional relationship with your superiors?

• How well do you rate your personal relationship with your superiors?

• Do you feel you are getting the most out of your role?

• Are you satisfied with your work?

• Do you believe your pay accurately reflects your level of work?

These can be challenging questions to ask, but anonymous surveys often yield the most honest answers. This can be tough with a small sta–; however, it might just give you the nuggets of golden information you need to make the right business decision.

So get on top of your turnover, ask the hard questions and build a great relationship with your sta–.

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2. Schedule it!

Lock it in Eddie. Now that you’ve identified your goal/s, you need to manage your time. Working “on” the business is important, but often not urgent.

Without it being scheduled, it often falls into the “I’ll do it when I have spare time” category… And then the days become weeks, and the weeks become months and you still haven’t achieved your goals. You need to make it a priority.

From Alex Henderson Lifestyle Tradie Business Coach Hey there tradies and partners; I wanted to take the time to address a problem I see creeping up time and time again: accountability.

As business owners, we’re good at managing other people — we set them tasks with deadlines, budgets, and expectations of the final product. We do this across our entire team to keep our businesses operating at a high level. And we’re great at putting our customers first and delivering a strong service.

Yet in our lives, when we put highly important business development tasks on the to-do list, they are often left uncompleted.

I often use the gym metaphor; “you can buy a gym membership, but that doesn’t get you ripped. You have to show up consistently and put in the effort to get fit.”

I meet so many tradies with the very best intentions of growing their business, yet they find themselves stuck in the day-to-day doing the trade, and their business goes unloved.

So here are my TOP 3 ways to hold yourself accountable and get yourself back on track.

1. Goals

You need to have clear goals so that you know what you should be spending your time on. If it’s a big goal, break it down into smaller ones. And be specific. “Work on Marketing” is not a clear goal. ‘Get 20 new customers by the end of the quarter’ is much better.

Then dig deeper, and break it down into bite-sized tasks and how you are going to achieve this. E.g. define your Avatar, research lead generation strategies, survey clients that have purchased from us before, decide on the platform(s), create content/copy, etc..

Having a specific desired outcome (20 new customers) and a time limit (end of the quarter) helps make the goal specific and measurable.

If accountability is something that you’re struggling with, I suggest that you start by booking two hours a week into your calendar to achieve your business goals.

If you’re still on the tools full time and not often in the office this is even more important. Maybe you start late on a Tuesday from now on? Or if you have an apprentice who goes to TAFE, pick that day. Just like having a regular appointment with a Personal Trainer, regular consistent action will get you the results that you want.

It’s time to put yourself first and make your business the priority. Be as rigid as possible and stick to the new schedule. And turn your phone off, no emails or Facebook or distractions! Head down tail up!

3. Dress for the job you want This one may seem funny, but I swear it works!

I found that if I was in my KingGee’s and work boots, I was too easily tempted to get on the tools and lend a hand. “Oh, I’ll just do it myself”. It solves the small immediate problem in the short term but is not a sustainable long term solution.

On the flip side, if I dressed more white-collar and arrived to work with the mindset of the business owner, it removed the temptation to get my hands dirty and kept me focused on the business tasks.

Do you see yourself as a tradesman who’s in business, or a business owner who runs a company? For me, once I acknowledged with myself that I was a business owner in the cabinet-making industry (and not the other way around) my mindset shifted and I was better at focusing my effort and attention to where it should be as a business owner. If you see yourself as a tradesman first, naturally that’s where you’ll focus your attention.

Changing my mindset changed my approach and my ability to keep myself accountable. Small tweaks like this can make a real difference to your business and your life.

It’s time to move tasks from the important but not urgent segment, and make them a priority or they’ll be left uncompleted forever…

That’s my two cents for today, have a good one!

MID-YEAR DRAG

MID-YEAR DRAG Did you start the year full of ideas and hope… then, by mid-year, you’ve lost all motivation, and your short-term plans have been thrown out the window?

We feel that!

Now that we’ve hit the midyear hump, it’s time to realign your goals, reset and refocus with our THREE R’s.

1. REALIGN The goals you set at the start of each year are essential, as they should mark out the key milestones for your business growth throughout the year.

Life often throws you curveballs and unexpected hurdles, so if you haven’t met these milestones, there’s no need for dismay. Instead of giving up or completely changing your goals, let’s realign.

Firstly, revisit your original goals, are any of them still achievable? This should NOT be based on your gut, ego or what you WANT. It should be based on fact, reason and statistics.

The best way to ascertain this is to review your numbers. Sit down and chat with your accountant about your stats and share your business goals with them. Your accountant should know your business inside and out — They’ll guide you on what needs to be done so you can HIT your goals or shift them to something more achievable.

For instance, if one of your goals was to hire TWO new tradies by the end of the year, check with your accountant how much you would need to be turning over to afford that person, and if that’s still a realistic goal based on your current financial situation.

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MID-YEAR DRAG

2. RESET Now that you have a better understanding of what goals are achievable. Reset your business operations, so you are in the best position to meet these goals!

What I mean by this is, if you are keen on hiring two tradies, but your accountant says you’ll only have the budget for ONE, what elements do you need to reset to align with this new goal?

For instance, your reasoning behind two tradies may have been that one of them replaces you to take over the admin tasks. Now that you can only hire ONE that means you’ll still have to be on the tools in some capacity, but the admin tasks still need to be actioned.

You need to be innovative and look for alternative solutions or ways to work smarter, not harder to make the situation work for you.

Reset your ideas and look for solutions. So many trade business owners get into hot water because rather than resetting their goals based on fact, they stick to their guns and say, “I HAVE to hire both tradespeople even if I can’t afford it… I’ll make it work!”

This is ALWAYS a recipe for disaster and is just not good business!

Goals are fluid and are meant to change based on fact and reason; this is why we look at the statistics rather than your personal desires.

3. REFOCUS Staying the path and keeping your focus is so difficult.

As business owners, we are pulled in a thousand directions every day — our focus is constantly being segmented and split so it’s often hard to dedicate time to just focusing on your business.

We get so used to multitasking that it becomes second nature. But the reality is when you don’t give a task the full attention that it deserves, often it gets half-baked or mistakes are made.

Finding ways to control your focus is possible!

If you have a staff, let them know when your ‘noncontactable’ times are, and find a quiet workspace and action each task, one by one, without distractions.

You’ll be amazed by how much quicker you can move from one task to the next!

So now that we know how to realign, reset and refocus… let’s do it! The biggest driver of your business is YOU; if you’re not motivated to succeed, your business will suffer as a result.

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L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U

THE TRADIE SHOW: TOGETHER IN TRADE BUSINESS

THE TRADIE SHOW

TOGETHER IN TRADE BUSINESS

Profit First Author

Mike Michalowicz

Founder of TradieWives

Founder of Fergus

Marketing Legend

The Google Whisperer’

SAS Australia & Gold Medal Olympian

Verity Hare

Dan Pollard

Tim Reid

Kate Toon

Kerri Potharst

The Tradie Show — Together In Trade Business is a podcast for trade business owners and contractors.

Who, just like you and your partner, want to lead with confidence, make huge profit and have a better lifestyle.

A few friends are joining Andy and Angela!

Hosts Andy and Angela Smith are fellow trade business owners, and a husband and wife team. They’ve experienced the joys and frustrations of living and working together for more than 20 years!

The Tradie Show — Together In Trade Business is for you, if you want to hear real and relatable conversations packed with tips from expert guests and other trade business owners that’ll fast-track your freedom.

We’re covering the topics that every trade business owner needs to know!

WE’RE TOPPING THE CHARTS!

We’ve packed in all the top profit, marketing and mindset experts to get to the nitty-gritty of how to build a successful trade business so that YOU can get the most out of your trade business.

You can subscribe to The Tradie Show — Together In Trade Business wherever you get your favourite podcasts. Series one and two are available NOW, and season THREE is just around the corner!

Available NOW on your preferred listening platform!

J U LY – D E C E M B E R 2021 E D I T I O N – I S S U E #62

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NEXT ISSUE

NEW YEAR NEW YOU

SEASON 2 IS HERE!

2021 is almost at an end, and with 2022 nipping at our heels, it’s time to assess what kind of business you want in the new year, and what mindset you’re entering in.

Did you LOVE season one of our podcast ‘The Tradie Show— Together In Trade Business?’

In this edition, we’re chatting how hit the ground running in the new year. We share real-world practical advise on how to get your systems to work harder for you, and get your team to work in harmony with your processes.

Well, I’ve got GREAT news for you…. Season TWO is out now and available on your preferred listening platform! Andy and Angela Smith are joined by a host of amazing guests, from SAS Champion and Olympic gold medalist, Kerri Pottharst to Men’s Health Editor (and Hemsworth brothers BFF) Scott Henderson!

This is the year to work out the kinks, and get the trade business you’ve been dreaming of!

PLUS season THREE will be available in November 2021. Subscribe NOW so you never miss an episode.

“We never miss a job and we never miss a product [cost] now. Everything gets billed out. So the difference in turnover and cash flow has been huge.”

Tyler, AXT Plumbing

Get started with a Free Trial at fergus.com Fergus ad 210x74.indd 1

Phone: 1800 704 822 Email: info@lifestyletradie.com.au Web: www.lifestyletradie.com.au

22/03/21 6:12 PM

Lifestyle Tradie Magazine is published by and © copyright by Andrew & Angela Smith, Lifestyle Tradie Group Pty Ltd 2021. All Rights Reserved. This newsletter and any accompanying material are for general information purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to comply with any local, state or federal laws. The Publisher has taken all reasonable measures to ensure that the material contained within this newsletter is correct. The Publisher provides no representation and gives no warranty as to the accuracy of the information and does not accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in the information contained herein and shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising as a result of any person acting in reliance on information contained herein.